Lady Rine: sigh wow... this chapter took a lot out of me s-drop but not as much as the next few will. Tee hee! ENJOY!
i'm pretty sure you guys will love this one (cool guy pose)
(heart) always
-
Lady Rine
Act 27: Festivities begin. (part 1): For the sake of her happiness.
"Sakura-chan?" Knock. Knock. "Sakura-chan?" Hinata called from behind the door. "I'm coming in…" She whispered timidly. Hinata walked in to the guest bedroom only to find that the bed was made neatly, Sakura's bags were gone and she wasn't there. "SAKURA-CHAN? SAKURA-CHAN!" Hinata panicked. "NARUTO-KUN! SAKURA-CHAN IS GONE!" She shrieked. Naruto came running. He had been in the shower when he heard Hinata scream. He was dripping wet holding the towel around his waist. Heavy footsteps coming towards her.
"WHAT!" Of course being Naruto… he slipped.
THUD!
Naruto landed on his face. "FFwtt?" (Translation: "What?")
"Sakura-chan is gone!" Hinata repeated. Naruto stood up quickly and peered into the room. He let out a soft laugh.
"Don't worry Hinata-chan. Sakura-chan just went to do some training."
"Demo… her bags are gone!" Hinata protested her worry not fading. Especially since Sakura was such in bad condition last night.
"They're in the closet Hinata-chan." Naruto said hugging her.
"Oh…" Hinata giggled. She felt silly for over worrying. Besides, Sakura could take care of herself… most of the time. "Ok... neh, Naruto-kun are you hungry?"
"I'm always hungry!" Naruto said jumping for joy. He slipped again and landed on his face. Hinata laughed at him.
"Naruto… anata wa honto kawaii desho." (Translation: "Naruto you're really cute.") She said smiling.
--
"HAAAHHH!" Sakura cried punching a tree with her forceful super strength. Causing the tree to up-root halfway. It stood crookedly on a slant. Sakura frowned, pouting slightly, letting her hands fall to her sides, her breath short and heavy from training that entire morning. She felt childish for the way she took out her frustrations.
"And Kakashi-kun said I had grown up. Heh." Sakura smirked for a brief moment, but turned back into a frown. She sat down on the ground and hugged her knees closer to her. A habit she hadn't been able to shake.
"watashi wa honto baka ne." She screamed at herself. (Translation: "I'm really an idiot") "I can't believe I feel for him… AGAIN! I can't believe I let myself believe he actually cared… AGAIN! I'm so stupid! I let myself get hurt…. AGAIN! THIS FUCKING SUCKS!"
"KUSO!" She swore out loud. Punching the ground causing it to crack open. The uprooted tree she had punched before shock form the after shock of Sakura's earthquake and fell over with a loud thunderous crash.
"BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!" She said over and over and over again in her head. Scolding herself and restraining the tears.
"This is the last time… That was the last straw!" She stood up and clenched her fist. "I can't believe he left me... AGAIN!... BAKA!"
She thought of the distance Sasuke had created between them throughout the greater part of her life. She remembered how much she wanted to close that distance. Fate had thrown them together so many times. The same class… the same gennin team. The same chuunin team. They had even been assigned training partners for the jounin exams and had become jounins at the same time. They did ANBU missions together. TSUNANDE HAD PUT HER IN HIS FREKKEN HOUSE!
All of these times they had been thrown together by fate. And all of these times he had somehow managed to create a little more distance between them. She hated it!
But she loved him.
"I hate it…" She screamed to the empty forest.
"I HATE YOU!" She screamed.
"I FUCKING HATE YOU!" She screamed even louder. Falling to her knees. "But I'm stupid right? I'd just end up loving you again…" She let all her tears come out. Curling up hugging her knees once again she sobbed quietly on the forest floor.
--
"Sakura…" Sasuke found that her name just rolled off his tongue. He stood in what had been Sakura's room. Since she had come to live with him, his house felt like a home again. But she had left and it was because of him. Now his home, was nothing but a house again. He hated it. He missed her. Her unique scent still clung to his skin no matter how many times he showered. He still smelled her. She haunted him."I did the right thing?" Sasuke tied to convince himself.
"Did it ever occur to you that Sakura-chan's happiness is you?"
Naruto's words echoed through his thoughts it had all Sasuke had been thinking of through out the entire night.
"Sakura-chan's happiness is you."
Sasuke missed the warmth of her body next to his. It was then that he realized how much of a gap he had created between him and her. He always knew there was a space, some distance between them. Through out his entire life he had purposely pushed her away afraid of getting to close… afraid of hurting her… afraid of loving her. She had tried so desperately to close the gap and she, at some times, had gotten through to him. But no. "I'm a fucking idiot." He had pushed her away and managed to create a bigger space. A longer distance.
"Forgive me…" he whispered to the empty room. Which strangely smelled like…
strawberries?
--
So here it is. The day of the festival has finally arrived. Villagers closed down their shops to attend with their families and their friends. The street was filled with festivities such as shows, and games and food. Plenty of food! Shikamaru had to restrain Choji and Hinata had trouble keeping Naruto in check as well. Hyuuga Neji and his wife Ten Ten were enjoying the festival as well. Ten Ten was along nicely in her pregnancy, only a few more months to go and she had beaten Neji with her demanding tasks and errands. Despite Ten Ten's mood swings Neji gave into his wife's requests without complaint. She's scary when she's mad.
Ino and Sakura went together since they both were competing. They were already dressed in their Kimonos.
"Are you sure you want to wear that one?" Ino asked concerned. Sakura was dressed in the silk white Kimono Jin had given her.
"Yes. After all, we're going to be married." Sakura said half-heartedly. Ino frowned.
"Whatever makes you happy Sakura."
"I am happy…" Sakura lied.
"Right…" Ino said turning around to a mirror to do her make up. Sakura was already made up. Light green and pink eye shadow, pink tint on her cheeks. And of course red-cherry lips that hugged her lips making them smooth, full and soft. She was indeed beautiful.
"Ino?"
"Aha?" Ino replied putting on her pale plum shade lipstick.
"I'm going to take a short walk ok?"
"Aha." Ino replied, still putting on the lipstick.
"Ino you look like a fish." Sakura laughed.
"WHAT WAS THAT FOREHEAD GIRL!"
"Nothing." Sakura beamed. She needed the laugh. Running out of the tent before Ino could throw something at her. Her laugh quickly faded into a small smile. The small smile faded to a content line. And the content line dropped down to a frown. She hadn't seen Sasuke or Jin yet.
"Sakura-chan?" Sakura whipped around. Rosy pink tresses in curls bounced around landing softly in place gracing her cheeks as the rest of her hair was up in a cute French bade bun.
"Jin!" She smiled slightly and rushed up to him giving him a big hug. "You're back!" She pulled away from him and smoothed out her kimono.
"Yeah…" Jin rubbed the back of his neck. Sakura knew something was wrong. "You look good!" He smiled.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Sakura… we need to talk…" His smile faded.
"Talk?" Sakura looked puzzled. "This can't be good."
…
…
…
"Jin I don't know what to tell you…" They were standing on a bridge, the one where she used to wait in her gennin days. The same bridge that served as the first place to visit when she returned to Konoha. Sakura looked over the water beneath them. "He saw me and Sasuke kiss…"
"You don't have to say anything…" Jin said. Then he took her hands into his and turned her to face him. "Sakura…"
"Jin… Don't…" She was nearing tears. She knew what was coming.
"Sakura…"He inturrupted and continued. "You are perfect…
"Jin… please."
"Let me finish…" He placed a finger on her lips to shut her up. "Sakura you are perfect… in every way. You're a beautiful woman. You're strong, and compassionate. You love others more than you love yourself. I've always been attracted to you. And the more time I spent with you, I realized that…"
Sakura's tears were now falling.
"You're the one for me…"
"Jin please… don't…" She closed her eyes and tilted her head down. She couldnt' bare to look at him. Jin lifted her chin so he could see her face. Reluctantly Sakura opened her big green eyes to look into his honest violet ones.
"But I'm not the one for you…"
Her tears fell down her cheeks and seeped into the crack of the wood beneath her feet.
"I'm sorry…" She cried. "I'm so sorry…"
"Sakura…" He cooed whipping her tears away from her face. Strangely enough she immediately thought of Sasuke. It made her cry even more. "You don't have to apologize."
"I'm such a fool…" Sakura said to him. "I thought if I came back here, I could finally get over him."
Jin remained silent and let her cry it out… she needed to get it off her chest and he completely understood that.
"But I was wrong." She sobbed more. "The moment I saw him I remembered everything I ever felt as a kid. Everything I've tried so hard to forget!"
"Sakura… You can't force yourself to feel something you don't feel, and most especially, you can't force yourself to forget feelings that you feel… it doesn't work that way."
Sakura was silent. She took off her engagement ring and handed it back to Jin. "I'm sorry…"
"It's ok…" Jin gave her that awesome smile that she loved so much. "I just want you be happy." Then he pulled her into a tight hug.
"Thank you…" Sakura said drying her tears and claming down. "Really… Jin… thank you." She gave him a weak smile. He smiled back at her, then turned and walked back to the festival.
"Oh Sakura?"
"Yes?"
"Give Sasuke a chance…"
"Ok…"
"One more thing."
"Yes?"
"Don't lose to Ino. She scares me." Jin said shuddering.
Sakura laughed.
"Ok!"
--
"I should probably expect a 'thank you'… but knowing you, that wouldn't happen." Jin said noticing a certain raven haired man in front of him. "You heard everything didn't you?"
"Aa…" He replied.
"Aren't you going to the festival?"
"…"
"Aren't you going to go after her?"
"…"
Silence.
"Why did you do that?" Sasuke finally asked him.
"I wanted the same thing you did…"
"…" Sasuke cocked an eyebrow.
"I just wanted her to be happy." He grinned hiding his pain from Sasuke.
"Aa…" Sasuke smirked a little. "You talked to Naruto didn't you?"
"yeah…" Jin nodded his head.
"Stupid dobe."
Silence.
"She still loves you… despite everything that you've done. Don't you at least feel something towards her?"
"…"
Jin sighed realizing that Sasuke wasn't going to answer his question.
"I love her…" Sasuke said quietly.
"Eh?" Jin was surprised. "Did he say what I thought he said?"
"Sakura… I love Sakura…" Sasuke repeated turning red.
"Heh. I knew it." Jin smirked.
